Château Jamard Belcour, Lussac Saint-Emilion

F ranck Despagne traces his lineage in greater Saint-Emilion back to 1665. A baptism ledger in neighboring Saint-Sulpice de Falerens lists that forefather as a ploughman. Beyond that, the historic record is silent, and whether or not the family originated from Spain (d’Espagne, i.e., of Spain) is anyone’s guess. What’s known today is that Franck’s cousin is the seventh-generation Despagne to run Saint-Emilion’s highly regarded Château Grand Corbin Despagne while Franck, who joined his father in 1986 working 30 acres in the proverbial wilderness, doubled those vineyards to just over 60 acres.

The vines are all in the satellites to the north, formerly frowned upon by the gentry of Saint-Emilion as outcasts but today considered authentic zones of quality and value. Indeed, more than one well-heeled producer has bought vineyards up there. From his parcels, Franck makes a number of wines corresponding to their appellation using steel, concrete, barrel and amphore as aging vessels. Château Jamard Belcour is distinguished by the fact that it’s the only one of his wines from Lussac Saint-Emilion, and the only wine that sees no wood. It is the product of 13 acres in four parcels on one hillside, nourished from grape to wine via concrete vats (above-ground for fermentations, underground for aging). It’s further distinguished by the fact that Franck was born in the hamlet of Jamard, and most of his vines there come from his mother. It’s close to his heart.

The ferments are all spontaneous with ambient yeast from the grapes and the cellar at the modest château. The blend reflects what’s in the vineyards: 90% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. Franck takes care with these grapes. He’s not after a flashy bomb of a wine; what he’s after is a true vin de terroir.